Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog

Concordia, a nursing home located in Springfield, Illinois, has implemented a new resident-centered living community. The home now has 16 resident neighborhoods arranged in self-contained pods.

Concordia is one of only a few nursing home in Illinois that has joined the "Pioneer Movement" in nursing home facilities. Concordia is small, with only 64 beds, and is primarily a private home.

Staff members in the new development remain in one home, increasing the attention and care that nursing home residents receive. This increases the staff-to-patient ratio. It also increased the cost of care. The facility does not plan to serve many patients on Medicaid.

Continue reading "Springfield Nursing Home Creates "Home-like" Atmosphere" »

Last week, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that dozens of residents and employees of a Lake Forest, Illinois nursing home contracted a norovirus.

The virus is highly contagious and cannot be treated by anti-biotics. Residents and employees reported having flu-like symptoms including fatigue, high temperatures, and body aches.

The Lake Forest nursing home is not allowing any new admissions for the next two weeks as staff work to treat those infected. The nursing home has also taken additional precautions by posting signs in the lobby warning visitors of the outbreak and offering hand sanitizer.

Continue reading "Chicago area nursing home hit with virus" »

The Florida Supreme Court has recently handed down two decisions regarding arbitration clauses in nursing home disputes (Shotts v. OP Winter Haven, Gessa v. Manor Care of Florida) The court struck down a segment of nursing home arbitration clauses that put in place damage caps that fell below what is legally recoverable in state court.

The rulings are being hailed as a big win for nursing home residents and their families. And though these cases come out of Florida, the effects of the decisions are predicted to be felt throughout other States. Legal experts are saying that the decisions may likely deter nursing homes in other states from imposing similar damage caps in their arbitration clauses.

Continue reading "Damage Caps in Nursing Home Arbitration Clauses" »

We have blogged before on the dangers of drug misuse in nursing homes. Drugs have been used to sedate and quiet patients though the drugs were not prescribed by patients' doctors.

Drugs, such as Zyprexa and Seroquel, designed to treat individuals with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, are being used to sedate nursing home residents with dementia. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently advised Congress that nursing homes which rely on Medicare for funding should be penalized for prescribing these medications inappropriately.

HHS cited from a recent study which shows that 14% of all individuals in nursing homes were prescribed antipsychotics within 6 months of their stay.

Continue reading "Psychiatric Drugs Overused in Nursing Home Patients" »